Share this article

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier

Microsoft’s former chief privacy adviser after NSA ordeal: ‘I don’t trust Microsoft now’

4 min. read

Published onOctober 1, 2013

published onOctober 1, 2013

Share this article

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more

It was revealed earlier this year that the National Security Agency (NSA) had a secret program called PRISM which collected electronic information from users in an attempt to gather intelligence. The internet went haywire when Edward Snowden leaked details on what the US government was up to and how Microsoft, Google, and other tech companies played a role in the peep-show. After Microsoft admitted that they were not spying on its customers, some critics still believe they were aiding the US government to spy on people.

Caspar Bowden, who was in charge of Microsoft’s privacy policy between the years of 2002 and 2011 for 40 countries, stated this week that he doesn’t trust Microsoft at all after the NSA/PRISM ordeal. Bowden also admitted that he hasn’t used a cell phone in over two years. Is he paranoid or is he playing it safe?

“I don’t trust Microsoft now.”

“The public now has to think about the fact that anybody in public life, or person in a position of influence in government, business or bureaucracy, now is thinking about what the NSA knows about them. So how can we trust that the decisions that they make are objective and that they aren’t changing the decisions that they make to protect their career? That strikes at any system of representative government,” Bowden explained.

“I don’t trust Microsoft now,” Bowden states. Bowden now calls himself a “privacy advocate” and explained that he now only uses open-source software and hasn’t used a cell phone due to privacy concerns. He also mentioned during a conference this week that he was unaware that Microsoft participated in PRISM.

Bowden explains that there are specific words in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that mentions “there’s no protection if you’re not an American.” In other words, anyone living outside the United States has no legal protection from the NSA’s actions.

“We’re living through a transformation in surveillance power that’s never been seen before on earth. And we don’t know what type of government or leader will come to power next and exploit it. It could be the next president. It could be this one,” Bowden adds.

“There’s no protection if you’re not an American.”

Back in Augustof this year, Microsoft partnered up with Google to sue the US government over surveillance transparency. This came as a surprise after Microsoft, along with Google and other companies, were accused of aiding the government to allegedly spy on its users.

Although the government has said that it will release the total number of national security demands for consumer data for the past 12 months, Microsoft and Google believe this is not enough and felt that everyone deserves the right to know which details, involving official data requests for user data, was requested by the government.

Of course Microsoft has to show concern about their users’ privacy, especially since this impacts the performance of the company’s cloud computing services. A big question we brought up a while ago simply asks, “If it was such a concern in the first place, why did these tech giants have to wait until this big surveillance transparency fiasco to come forth and demand more transparency from the U.S government?”

Microsoft continues to argue that they have only handed over specific customer data to the government due to a court order or subpoena. “Microsoft remains committed to respecting human rights, free expression, and individual privacy,” Microsoft emphasized.

Just recently, we learned that Microsoft received 37,196 requests from law enforcement agencies affecting 66,539 accounts in the first six months of this year, covering January to June 2013. However, only a small number of those requests resulted in the disclosure of customer data.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).

For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.

Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.

User forum

0 messages

Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes

Comment*

Name*

Email*

Commenting as.Not you?

Save information for future comments

Comment

Radu Tyrsina

With KB5043178 to Release Preview Channel, Microsoft advises Windows 11 users to plug in when the battery is low#

Copilot in Outlook will generate personalized themes for you to customize the app#

Microsoft will raise the price of its 365 Suite to include AI capabilities#

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is now Xbox X|S at a huge discount#

Outlook will let users create custom account icons so they can tell their accounts apart easier#

Microsoft’s former chief privacy adviser after NSA ordeal: ‘I don’t trust Microsoft now’#